This invention relates generally to the delivery of electrical power. In particular, this invention is concerned with ensuring a proper electrical coupling between a power cord and an object utilizing electrical power.
Power or “extension” cords are commonly utilized for delivering AC or DC electrical current to various devices that consume electricity. For instance, an AC-type extension cord can be plugged into a wall outlet to deliver 110/120V electrical power supplied from the electrical utility to a consumer device plugged into the free end of the cord. Most common AC extension cord designs for consumer applications have both a standard plug-type end for connecting with a wall outlet (e.g., a 3 prong design for positive, negative, and ground leads) and a standardized receptacle end for receiving the plug of a device consuming the electricity. However, in the case of light string cords, such as those used to deliver power to multiple consumer objects providing audible and/or visual effects, i.e., “amusement” objects such as Christmas ornaments providing illumination, movement, and/or sound effects for instance, the receptacles for receiving the electrical contacts of the respective objects typically do not have a standard size. This poses a problem when a consumer attempts to plug in their amusement object to a light string receptacle. As an example, a barrel plug or other structure of the amusement object supporting the electrical contacts may not fit within or otherwise make a secure connection with the receptacle of the light string, thus rendering the amusement object useless. Furthermore, consumers purchasing light strings are often not informed as to the dimensions of the light string receptacles, and therefore cannot readily determine whether the amusement objects they possess will properly couple with the light string. Heretofore, there has been no reliable solution for ensuring that such consumer objects will be compatible with a broad range of light strings having receptacles of varying sizes, including varying diameters.